Templo Evangélico Bautista

Did the name Diego Thompson ever cross your path? Here at the Templo Evangélico Bautista, his story echoes. He was the first Baptist preacher documented in Argentina, arriving in Buenos Aires on October 6, 1818. Thompson wasn’t here to establish a church. He came to spread the educational principles of Lancaster. President Bernardino Rivadavia and his minister, Martín Rodríguez, supported him. By 1821, sixteen schools flourished in the city and countryside. On November 19, 1820, Thompson led the first recorded Baptist service in Argentina. He later traveled to Chile and Peru. He even met General José de San Martín. Upon his departure, the Buenos Aires City Council granted Thompson honorary citizenship, recognizing him as a distinguished individual. The Templo Evangélico Bautista, though not directly founded by Thompson, stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of Baptist faith he introduced. Another pivotal figure in the history of the Templo Evangélico Bautista and Argentine Baptist history is Pablo Besson. He arrived in 1881 and initially settled in Esperanza, Santa Fe. There, he established the first Baptist church in Santa Fe. Besson’s arrival marked a new chapter. He faced his first struggle for freedom of conscience when he buried a child in his family’s garden. The local cemetery refused the burial because the child hadn’t received Catholic baptism. This incident fueled Besson’s fight for religious freedom in Argentina. In 1882, Besson moved to Buenos Aires and organized the first Baptist church here. This church eventually became the present-day Iglesia del Centro. Besson continued his passionate defense of public liberties enshrined in the National Constitution, liberties denied by the religious customs of the time. Besson performed a “civil” marriage before the existence of the Civil Registry we know today. He advocated for its creation, writing in major newspapers to raise awareness. His literary expression reached its peak with his translation of the New Testament. The story of the Templo Evangélico Bautista intertwines with the broader narrative of Baptist history in Argentina. From Thompson’s educational mission to Besson’s fight for religious freedom, the seeds of faith were sown and nurtured.